moot

[moot]

adjective

1. open to discussion or debate; debatable; doubtful.

   Whether that was the cause of their troubles is a moot point.

   Synonyms: unsettled, disputed, disputable
   Antonyms: indisputable

2. of little or no practical value, meaning, or relevance; purely academic.

   In practical terms, the issue of her application is moot because the deadline has passed.

3. Chiefly Law.,  not actual; theoretical; hypothetical.

verb (used with object)

1. to present or introduce (any point, subject, project, etc.) for discussion.

   Synonyms: discuss, dispute, debate
   Antonyms: agree

2. to reduce or remove the practical significance of; make purely theoretical or academic.

3. Archaic.,  to argue (a case), especially in a mock court.

noun

1. an assembly of the people in early England exercising political, administrative, and judicial powers.

2. an argument or discussion, especially of a hypothetical legal case.

3. Obsolete.,  a debate, argument, or discussion.

moot

/ muːt /

adjective

1. subject or open to debate

   a moot point

verb

1. (tr) to suggest or bring up for debate

2. (intr) to plead or argue theoretical or hypothetical cases, as an academic exercise or as vocational training for law students

noun

1. a discussion or debate of a hypothetical case or point, held as an academic activity

2. (in Anglo-Saxon England) an assembly, mainly in a shire or hundred, dealing with local legal and administrative affairs

Other Word Forms

• mooter noun
• mootness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of moot¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English noun mot(e) “meeting, assembly,” Old English gemōt; cognate with Old Norse mōt, Dutch gemoet “meeting”; meet ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of moot¹

Old English gemōt; compare Old Saxon mōt, Middle High German muoze meeting

Example Sentences

But the change never got the required federal approval so the extension was moot.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

A mooted Ukrainian shell factory has also yet to materialize.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

And demand failed to materialize, despite Tesla’s mooted list of reservations for a vehicle meant to evoke the DeLorean made famous by “Back to the Future.”

Read more on MarketWatch

Loss of privacy, intense public scrutiny, and performance pressure are all mooted contributing factors, although the study notes it is not conclusively linked.

Read more on BBC

Many agreements with Riyadh were mooted in the Biden years, but the U.S. held off, waiting for the Saudis to join the Abraham Accords and solidify the U.S. regional alliance.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• debatable 
• problematic 
• unresolved 
• unsettled